Kudos!!!

You done well. Welcome to the club.

Wilson is a happy boy. Now, based on Chris' response, the only questions is when were you last at the monolith? <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

May I please touch the hem of your shirt? I am very impressed!!! I've have been trying on and off for a month now to use a bow drill. Same results lots of dust no smoke. I am now more determind to get this. I thought matches and gas was difficult to master <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> (eybrows just growing back)
GREAT JOB!! <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Congratulations! Now it's time to try the hand drill. When you figure that one out let me know. I still can't seem to make it happen. I keep telling myself that I just need to exercise more so I have more stamina. Of course that irony is that constantly spinning a hand drill is probably the best training for this purpose, so I keep at it.

Congratulations!
I also made my fire using bow-srill on 2nd January this year! Yes, I do remember the date because it never worked before. And you feel so different after this...
Sometimes I think that some people who wrote survival books never actually made fire using bow drill because they often forget to mention that you should put a tinder easy to ignite into the wedge of the base wood near to the drill - wood dust often does not want to catch the fire because you do not use particularly easy-to-burn wood, but what you have available.
I tried bowdrill many time before and never sucessfully until I read Ray Mear's "Bushcraft" book and followed his instructions. I decided to add a bit of crampballs into the wedge of the base wood - I got fire in about 5 minutes!
Actually, I liked that I made fire in winter time - we have too much rain in the UK at this time of the year, so I could not find anything dry in the woods, not even a leaf. I cut away a lot of wet wood to reach dry pieces to make drill and case. So, I guess I did it in quite difficult circumstances, so next time hopefully it will be in much more favourable conditions.

Handdrill - I can almost picture the blisters on these office softened hands ! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Actually, what I working on is hand making cordage for the bow. So far I've made cordage from palm fronds and pandanus. The pandanus seem fairly stong and I will try this weekend.

The other thing I'm trying is various native woods for hearth and spindle. Got some good smoke and dark dust from Slash pine and Chinese Fan palm but no coal yet.

My goal is to only need a knife as a tool and then go from there but the shortcuts of using other tools sure is tempting.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone,
Scott

My goal is the same and I too struggle with the temptation of pulling the ferror rod, lighter or matches out of my pocket instead. I mostly have used cedar and cottonwood, both of which are native to my area. I haven't had much luck with natural cordage for bow drills so far. I haven't found the right combination of strength and pliability yet with materials native to the area in which I live. I keep searching and practicing though. Eventually I will probably stumble across something that works.